This invention relates to a key ejector lock for the door of a cabinet or other enclosure, particularly, for a refrigerator or freezer door.
Locks are employed on refrigerator and freezer cabinets for the purpose of preventing minors from obtaining access to the cabinets and, especially, to prevent minors from entering and becoming locked in the cabinets. The locks are low security locks, in that they do not embody key-operable tumblers. Instead, they have simpler key-operable mechanism for alternately securing and releasing for rotation a rotatable plug part movable between locked and unlocked positions. A characteristic of the locks is that they are designed to automatically eject the key when it is released, so that the key does not remain in the lock, where it is accessible to a minor. Preferably, the key is ejected in any rotational position thereof, so that under no circumstances will it remain in the lock. Such a lock is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,001.
In my copending patent application Ser. No. 599,154, filed July 25, 1975 for "Key Ejector Lock", now U.S. Pat. No 3,971,242, granted July 27, 1976, I have disclosed a key ejector lock constructed of fewer parts, thereby facilitating and reducing the cost of producing the parts and assembling them in a lock. The lock is more readily assembled by virtue of the construction of its parts, and in particular, it is assembled from the rear end of the lock. A rear end plug of the lock is inserted in the barrel into snap-fitting interengagement therewith, to secure the several parts in the lock. The rear end plug also is mounted in the lock barrel so as to minimize axial play and side play, to afford a tight, secure closure and minimize the required latching tolerances.